Data Storage Converter
Bits · Bytes · KB · MB · GB · TB · PB
Enter a value and select units to convert.
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Data Storage Reference
Two systems exist: the SI (decimal) system used by hard drive manufacturers and the binary (IEC) system used by operating systems. This difference explains why a "1 TB" hard drive shows as 931 GB in Windows.
| Unit | SI (decimal) | Binary (IEC) |
|---|---|---|
| Kilobyte | 1,000 bytes | 1,024 bytes (KiB) |
| Megabyte | 1,000,000 bytes | 1,048,576 bytes (MiB) |
| Gigabyte | 1,000,000,000 bytes | 1,073,741,824 bytes (GiB) |
| Terabyte | 1,000,000,000,000 bytes | 1,099,511,627,776 bytes (TiB) |
This converter uses the SI decimal system (powers of 1,000). For binary units (KiB/MiB/GiB/TiB), exact powers of 1,024 are used.
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Conversion Questions
How many megabytes are in a gigabyte?+
In the SI (decimal) system: 1 GB = 1,000 MB = 1,000,000 KB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. In the binary system used by operating systems: 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB = 1,048,576 KiB. This is why a drive marketed as 1 TB only shows about 931 GB in Windows — the OS uses binary units.
Why does my hard drive show less space than advertised?+
Hard drive manufacturers use the SI (decimal) definition: 1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux) historically displayed storage in binary units (GiB, not GB), but labeled them as "GB." So 1 TB drive ÷ 1.0995 × 10¹² bytes/TiB ≈ 0.909 TiB, displayed as "931 GB" in Windows. Modern macOS (10.6+) switched to the SI definition, so it shows "1 TB."
How many bytes are in a kilobyte?+
In the SI system: 1 KB = 1,000 bytes. In the binary system: 1 KiB (kibibyte) = 1,024 bytes. Historically, "kilobyte" was used for both, causing confusion. The IEC introduced the kibibyte (KiB) in 1998 to be unambiguous. Network speeds are almost always in SI units (Mbps = 10&sup6; bits/s). This converter uses SI for KB/MB/GB/TB and binary for KiB/MiB/GiB/TiB.
What is the difference between a bit and a byte?+
A bit is the smallest unit of data, representing 0 or 1. A byte is 8 bits. Network speeds are measured in bits per second (bps, Kbps, Mbps, Gbps). Storage is measured in bytes. So a 100 Mbps internet connection can theoretically download at 12.5 MB/s (100 ÷ 8). Always check whether a speed is in bits or bytes.
How many GB is 1 TB?+
In the SI system: 1 TB = 1,000 GB. In the binary system: 1 TiB = 1,024 GiB. When buying storage, manufacturers use SI (1 TB = 1,000 GB). When your OS reports storage, it may use binary. A 1 TB SSD shows as 931 GB in Windows (binary) or 1 TB in modern macOS (SI). Both statements are technically correct under different definitions.
How do I convert Mbps to MB/s for download speeds?+
Divide Mbps by 8 to get MB/s. Example: 100 Mbps ÷ 8 = 12.5 MB/s. Internet speeds are marketed in megabits per second (Mbps). Download managers show progress in megabytes per second (MB/s). So a "gigabit" (1,000 Mbps) connection gives approximately 125 MB/s maximum download speed.
What is a petabyte?+
In the SI system: 1 PB = 1,000 TB = 1,000,000 GB = 10¹&sup5; bytes. Major cloud providers store exabytes of data (1 EB = 1,000 PB). The entire text of the Internet has been estimated at about 5 exabytes. An hour of 4K video is roughly 25 GB, so 1 PB holds approximately 40,000 hours of 4K footage.
How much data does a photo, song or movie use?+
Approximate file sizes: JPEG photo: 2–8 MB · RAW photo: 20–50 MB · MP3 song: 3–10 MB · FLAC audio: 20–50 MB · SD video (1 hr): 1–2 GB · HD video (1 hr): 4–8 GB · 4K video (1 hr): 20–60 GB. Streaming services compress heavily: Netflix 4K uses about 7 GB/hr.
How many GB of RAM does a computer typically have?+
Modern computers (2026): Budget laptops: 8 GB · Mid-range laptops/desktops: 16 GB · High-end workstations: 32–64 GB · Servers: 128 GB to several TB. Smartphones typically have 8–16 GB RAM. A byte of RAM stores one character; 8 GB RAM can hold roughly 8 billion characters in memory simultaneously.
What is the largest data storage unit?+
Standard SI prefixes go: KB → MB → GB → TB → PB (petabyte) → EB (exabyte) → ZB (zettabyte) → YB (yottabyte). 1 YB = 10²&sup4; bytes = one trillion TB. In 2023 global internet traffic exceeded 600 exabytes per month. The entire digital universe of data created was estimated at 120 zettabytes in 2023, projected to reach 400 ZB by 2028.